Definition A crenellation is a defensive wall built on the top of a castle. These walls specifically have gaps (2-3 feet wide) which are used for firing guns and arrows, (“Mimidex”, n.d.). Entomology The word crenellation is adapted from the Latin word “crenella”, which is defined as a notch or serration. However, the word shares its origin from the English word “cranny” meaning a small opening in a wall or rock face, (“Mimidex”, n.d.). Examples There can be many examples of crenellations including walls, buildings, rampart, forts, and bulwark, but they must have gaps along the top. Crenellations are always designed with separations and splits, they are never connected, joint or a flat wall, (See Figure 1). Crenellations and Crenulations …show more content…
Alchin (n.d.) explains that crenellations were introduced to castles during the Medieval Period (1066- 1154). Crenels were used to provide a terrace and good vantage point from which the soldiers protecting the castle would launch arrows and shoot guns at approaching enemies. Merlons (upright section of crenellations) were used to protect soldiers from the ammunition of their lower enemies, (See Figure 2). There were some merlons later designed with slits and gun ports, making the soldiers completely protected when firing arrows and guns, (“Castle Architecture-Walls.”n.d.). From the 13th century, crenellations were built with wooden shutters for added protection, (“Castle Architecture-Walls.” n.d.). Crenellations also had walkways behind them which allowed soldiers to quickly move around the defenses of the castle. The overall design of crenellations changed frequently to make them more defensive and protective. The fishtail merlon was a design that was described as a defensive beauty. This look added a unique design to the castle while allowing the defenders of the castle to be very hard to harm. You can see this fishtail design on many castles including the Fenis Castle, (See Figure 3), (Trynoski,
A typical feature of a concentric castle is the protective wood work at the top of the walls. We cannot tell whether this was a feature of Portchester Castle because any evidence would have rotted away.
American businesswoman Carly Fiorina once concluded, “If a decision-making process is flawed and dysfunctional, decisions will go awry.” In the critically acclaimed memoir The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls pilots a turbulent excursion through the bottleneck of her childhood and dysfunctionality and flawed decision-making is all too common. Throughout this memoir the reader learns of the the appearances and disappearances of stability and functionality, discovers the theme of fantasy vs. reality, and determines how and why the familial dynamics of the Walls alter through the duration of the memoir. The reasons for the instability of the family are evident.
Prior to the careers of Popes Celestine V and Boniface XII in the 13th century, the long and, sometimes tumultuous, history of the church can be helpful in setting the stage for these two church official’s very famous, and very different tenures as pope. In different forms and methods, the medieval Catholic Church has always had a strong hold on society in addition to politics. The church has also had a troubling past when it comes to corruption, usually manifesting itself through the pursuit of this dominance over political and outside figures on all aspects of everyday life. Coupling these two themes together, the past actions and power exerted
Before the days of gunpowder, the military used large timber machines to hurl rocks, arrows and flaming barrels of tar at and into castles and forts. In ancient times, in order to prevent attacks from invaders, forts and castles are built for protection. These castles and forts had very strong walls and were sometimes placed high on top of a hill or such. Therefore, people within the military often build machines and structures to aid in attacking castles. These machines were called catapults, which didn’t use explosives like today’s military weapons, instead they used energy which was stored in bent timber and sinew, twisted ropes or heavy weights. A catapult is a machine that initially stores energy and then releases energy in order to fire a projectile. In simple terms, it is a device that is used to hurl an object to a further distance. In order to be classified as a catapult, the machine generally has to be larger than an average person, which logically makes it difficult for the said person to carry. The first catapults were early
The primary use for all castles, in general, is defense. They were often built on hills, cliffs, islands, swamps, etc. to limit the probability of a siege or uprising, and motte and bailey castles were no different. The motte and bailey castles were first used to protect the nobleman of the Norman fleet, and followed a fairly basic design. Mottes, according to Dr. Reginald Allen Brown, medieval historian with vast knowledge and experience in this field, were artificial mounds constructed by piling consecutive layers of earth and stones. The stones created stability throughout the motte and also helped with drainage. The sides of the motte were often covered with a layer of clay...
Though little remains of the tillers or prods of these early Roman crossbows, at least one nut has been found intact. This nut is cylindrical, with fingers cut into the top to hold a string, and a seer notch cut into the underside. It is center-bored for an axle. The cuts are more severe than on later examples, thus making the nut flatter than those found on more modern pieces. This artifact, with its easily recognizable geometry, proves the technical similarities between these and much later crossbows. One other artifact is a turned knob that is thought to be the handle end of the tiller. Depictions in column carvings and stone reliefs at Solignac France help confirm this speculation. These images show short, carbine-type tillers with lathe turned handles fitted with massive prods, often stylized in keeping with artistic representation of the period. These prods were not likely to be the severe recurves shown in these depictions. They were more probably simple wooden straight bows. It is likely that at least some of these were of simple composite construction, as the horn or horn and wood composite technology was kn...
Ziggy Marley once said, “God is like the sun. When the sun shines, it shines for everyone. God is for everyone.” In the same way, Abbot Suger built the Basilica of St. Denis so that sunlight would flood throughout the building and symbolize the power of God inviting visitors into the cathedral. The Basilica of St. Denis was an artistic response to the rise of the Catholic Church’s power for it was modeled to be a physical representation of heaven, which the church heavily preached upon. (Thesis) As the basilica represented the shift from Romanesque architecture to Gothic, Abbot Suger introduced new techniques that transformed cathedrals to look more spacious and “heavenly”. (Map Statement #1-Art History) By allowing sunlight to come through the large windows, Abbot Suger instilled the Neo-Platonic idea that the sun was the physical representation of God. (Map Statement #2 –Philosophy) Also, at that time, the church was rising in power, so the new structural style of the basilica brought more converts and eventually more power to the church. (Map Statement #3 –Social Institutions) [Insert Literature Map Statement] The Basilica of St. Denis was built so that worshippers would be in awe of the “heaven-like” setting, which would cause more people to declare their faith to God and to the church.
Bindman, David. “A review of Robert N. Essick’s William Blake’s Relief Inventions.” Blake: an illustrated quarterly #54. 14 (2), fall 1980. pg. 106-107.
When one sees the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral in person or in pictures they are likely to be awestruck. The twin towers of the western façade rise high into the sky, seemingly in an attempt to scrape heaven. Spiky arches seem to grow out of the sides and claw at the ground. Inside it is cavernous with colored light filtering in through the large, intricate stained glass windows. All of these physical qualities make Notre Dame a prime example of Gothic architecture. It does not stand alone in that distinction. One is also likely to see several hundred examples of this style on varying scales throughout Europe. Because, despite its humble origins, Gothic architecture became the standard for religious buildings in the early 11th century thanks to innovative use of new and old design techniques which resulted in majestic buildings that symbolized the builder’s version of heaven.
Damiens, Robert F. Pièces Originales Et Procédures Du Procès, Fait à Robert-François Damiens. Paris: Pierre Guillaume Simon, 1757. Print.
A type of weapon that was used a lot during sieges in the Middle Ages were catapults. “Catapults were a weapon used during the Middle Ages (Medieval period) in siege warfare. Catapults were devices for hurling stones or other objects” ("Catapults"). “There were many different types of catapults such as The Ballista - The Ballista was similar to a Giant Crossbow and by using tension. The Trebuchet - The massive Trebuchet consisted of a lever and a sling and was capable of hurling stones weighing 200 pounds with a range of up to about 300 yards. The Mangonel - Missiles were launched from a bowl-shaped bucket at the end of the one giant arm of the Mangonel”. ("Catapults") Catapults were used for invading Castile’s and sieges.
The trebuchet is used with a long wooden arm refreshed on a hinge point, which acted as a big level. A bullet was placed on one end and soldiers in this earlier form of the trebuchet pushed on slings devoted to the other end to fundamentals swing the arm around and throw the
Mycenaean sites employed Cyclopean masonry as the means of building their fortification walls. Cyclopean masonry was used at all of the fortified Mycenaean sites and it is built by using large flat-surfaced blocks with smaller stones fitted in the cracks (Dickinson, 1994). The walls would have two faces and the space would then be filled with rubble. It is believed the fortification walls were not truly meant to fortify a citadel, but were a means of displaying the city’s wealth (Loader, 1995). According to Loader (1995) Cyclopean masonry was a distinct style of Greece. The use of corbelled vaults was also common. The Mycenaeans did not know the principle of the true arch so they stacked blocks on top of one another and pushed the ends of both sides in to create a sort of vault before creating a smooth interior surface. This method requires heavy weight on the backs of the blocks used to make the vault to avoid a collapse.
Old styles of fortifications became easily destroyed by newly invented canons and were eventually replaced by star-forts. Star forts started in Italy, and then spread throughout Europe and other parts of the world. It was significant because it wasn’t easily destroyed by most cannons, and it could be easily defended against waves of infantry attacks. They are called star forts because the bird-eye view was that of a star, which allowed at least two points to have visual contact with attacking infantry, no matter the
Wall" appears on the surface to be simple and plain. However, a closer study will reveal